At 9:56 AM on March 22, dispatchers at the remote operation console of Huanghua Port Station of Shuohuang Railway, utilized the intelligent shunting system to control a dual-power locomotive which propelled a coal train weighing 5,394 tonnes to precisely stop at the designated point for dumping operations, marking the official launch of China’s first self-developed heavy-haul railway intelligent shunting system. This also represents another breakthrough in the field of intelligent heavy-haul railways and injects innovative impetus into boosting China’s capabilities in transportation.
As the largest coal transportation station in China at the port, the Huanghua Port Station on the Shuohuang Railway is connected to China’s west-to-east and north-to-south coal transportation network with an annual coal transportation capacity of 217 million tonnes, sufficient to meet the annual electricity demands of approximately 100 million households, playing a crucial role in ensuring stable energy supplies. On average, 160 trains and over 10,000 coal wagons are involved in unloading and reorganization within a day and night shift. Previously, each shunting operation required station dispatchers to frequently set routes, conduct repeated and mutual-control operations and coordinate precisely with shunting locomotive drivers. Connectors had to climb over the trains and work outdoors, not only enduring harsh conditions including extremely high temperatures, severe cold, gales, heavy rain and snow, but also increasing safety management pressure. Therefore, this process was extremely complex and precise.
To enhance efficiency and safety, the Shuohuang Railway Company spent three years overcoming technological challenges in collaboration with scientific research institutions, including the China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited. They innovatively integrated advanced technologies such as intelligent image recognition, intelligent sensing, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G communication, and artificial intelligence with the transportation operation characteristics of Huanghua Port to achieve a three-in-one intelligent shunting technology system, consisting of “cloud-based decision-making, cloud-based execution, and cloud-based safety assurance”, featuring automatic work planning generation, automatic route setting, automatic information flow, autonomous driving of shunting locomotives, unmanned outdoor control, and automatic safety alerts. After trial runs began in September 2022, this system continuously developed and improved over the past three years and officially began operation in March 2025, helping Huanghua Port become China’s first intelligent heavy-haul railway station.
The successful implementation of the intelligent shunting system represents another milestone for Shuohuang Railway, following their advancements in operating 30,000-tonne heavy-haul trains and autonomous shunting technology. This system is now available for large-scale promotion and application, helping to effectively improve the intelligent management of heavy-haul railways in China.
